Transcripts of conference calls by Dick Jauron and Aaron Schobel with New York Jets reporters on Wednesday:
BUFFALO HEAD COACH DICK JAURON
On the morale of the Bills …
We're lucky we have a really good group of guys. They continue to work all the time. Naturally, everybody's a little bit down because of how things have gone so far this year. It's certainly not what we had hoped for. It's really a solid group and they like each other. They're not afraid to work hard. They continue to be optimistic and hopefully we'll just keep working and find a way out of this.
On what he's seen out of Trent Edwards …
I'm sure he's going to be very nervous. He hasn't played hardly at all in the NFL until last week. He's going to be nervous, but he'll handle it well. His preparation won't change at all. One of the things that is so appealing about him, even outside of his skill level, is his seriousness about the game, his intelligence and his sense of the game. We really do like all of those things. He's just very young in this league, obviously, so he's going to be nervous and he should be nervous. He'll prepare well and we'll try to play as good as we can play and I know he'll give us everything he's got.
On what he saw from Edwards at Stanford …
Probably all of the same things we just talked about. I liked his size. I liked his arm strength and I always liked his quickness of delivery. He had a good understanding, it appeared on the tape, and then we interviewed him and felt it all matched. He had an understanding of what he was seeing on the field and how to react to it. All of those things that you look for in a quarterback and hopefully that's what we're going to have over a period of time. He's a real solid guy.
On if he has downsized the playbook to accommodate Edwards …
We'll have to downsize some, yes. I don't think there's any way around that just because he doesn't have any real experience behind him except for one game. We'll restrict it to some degree. As we move through the week, we'll know a little bit better. The weeks aren't long. Obviously, this was our first work day. We'll have a little better feeling coming off the field today and we'll feel a little better tomorrow. You have to restrict it to some degree, it's just a question of how much.
On how the offensive line has performed …
It sounds kinds of foolish being 0-3 to talk about anyone performing well, but the way our business is, that group has performed fairly well. I'm not dissatisfied at all with their progress or with where we believe we're going. It's a relatively young group and I believe they're just going to keep getting better, and the longer we're together, the better it should be. I'm not at all dissatisfied with them. We're just dissatisfied with our record.
On personal experience with losing as many guys as the Bills have to injuries …
In 2002 in Chicago we lost a lot of players. I don't remember it being this many as fast. Let's face it, everyone in the league has injuries and you just have to deal with them and find a way to get W's.
On how DT John McCargo is developing …
John's doing well. He appears to be getting a little better every week. A young guy, came out early, we drafted him high, we have a lot of hope for John. We need him and we need him to keep improving on a weekly basis. He has not been a disappointment to this point.
On how the team has dealt with TE Kevin Everett's injury …
We do talk about Kevin. I would say we talk about him a good deal. We keep the players informed of his progress, not necessarily daily but I would say a couple of times throughout the week. It was devastating and there's no way to get past that. It was tough. We're a pretty close team and this is a guy that's part of our team and will be part of our team. The guys keep in touch with him, we keep him updated, and we're just so thankful that the progress to this point has been unbelievable. We're just hoping and praying that it continues that way.
On whether he expects LB Keith Ellison or LB Coy Wire to be ready for the Jets …
No, we don't. We do not.
On how the linebackers will lineup this weekend as far as the starting three …
We'll work through that and to that as we get through the week. We have six that we think will be ready for game-time action. We have more than that active, of course, but we have six now and we just brought Kevin Harrison back yesterday. We just have to work through the week and see how it ends up.
On whether he noticed the Jets having trouble with screen passes …
Well, I've got to tell you, everyone has trouble with screen passes when they're executed [laughs].
On how RB Marshawn Lynch looks …
He's not a guy we're disappointed with. Obviously we liked him and drafted him real high. He's a guy, along with our line, the more they're together and the timing gets there and those kinds of things, the better it's going to be. Marshawn has shown, to this point, everything we were looking for. We would like to get and we need to get offensively more big plays, more chunks. As you can all see very clearly, we haven't scored nearly enough points and we're counting on Marshawn to help us in both of those areas. I believe he will.
On what Lynch brings to the Bills that's different than Willis McGahee ...
I really liked Willis McGahee and it got to a point where it was in everybody's best interest to part company and then we got something in return and I think the Ravens got something and Willis got something. It worked out for everybody. Leaving Willis out of that equation, the thing about Marshawn is that he's a good-sized running back and they're similar in that regard — Willis is bigger — but both of them are six feet or just a little under, which I'm partial to because it's closer to the ground, lower center of gravity.
He's got really good balance, excellent hands to catch the ball, and he can be very elusive. To this point I don't think it's shown as much on game day as we would like it to, but hopefully it will as we as a team get better and more consistent. He'll get more opportunities to get in the open field and make people miss. I do believe he brings all of those things, but we have to work toward getting them consistently on Sundays. That's our whole team that has to help in that regard.
On the consistency of the special teams …
I think the first thing you have to do is recognize that [special teams coach] Bob April does a terrific job. I do believe we have a really good coaching staff. We're talking special teams and it's right there in front of you. The last three years it's been outstanding in special teams. The players make the plays, but Bob really does a nice job of preparing them. I do believe our specialists are outstanding — Brian Moorman, Rian Lindell, Ryan Neill, our long snapper in his first year, is doing a pretty good job. Our guys really buy into it and they know how critically important it is for us to have a chance in any game. I think we've accumulated, although it's been hurt by our injuries, good special teams players and Bob does a good job of preparing them.
BUFFALO DE AARON SCHOBEL
On Buffalo's 0-3 start …
We had a rough start. We lost a lot of key guys and have a lot of new players on the defense. We are a positive team. We are still working hard and just trying to get better every day, each week and trying to get our first win. Every year we've struggled, we've kept that attitude, kept working and eventually at one point or another turned the season around. Even if it was a losing season, we had games and streaks where we played pretty well. Hopefully, we can get that rolling again.
On how injuries have affected the depth and rotation of the defensive line …
Early in the year, it is definitely a little bit harder when it is warm outside. You can work all off-season, but you're never in game shape until you actually play a couple of games. It definitely is harder in that we like to run to the ball and doing that extra stuff makes it harder to play at your highest level each snap whenever you are little more tired than usual.
On going against D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and his three-sack performance against the Jets last season …
Two of the sacks came at the end of the game. That's when you get sacks, because the other team has to throw it. Ferguson is an athletic guy and he is rangy. I think he is getting better. He did a pretty good job against [Jason] Taylor. Wasn't he the second or third pick overall or something like that? He has a great deal of upside and he is a good player.
On Bills T Jason Peters …
He is one of the best in the league. I have never played against a guy that is stronger than him. He came in as a tight end, so he is obviously athletic and can run. He will be one of the best before it is all said and done if he is not already.
On Bills G Derrick Dockery …
You get those two guys [Dockery and Peters] doubled down on somebody and it is hard on the 3-technique. Those guys are big so if they double-team you, you should be able to run around them. They are both good players who are going to make the team good.
On Jets RB Thomas Jones …
He is a downhill runner. He runs hard and he is a good running back. Last year they didn't have a running back that was known. Thomas Jones is known. I'm not saying the guys last year weren't running well, but you know who he is and now you have to go stop him.
On how injuries to the linebacking corps have affected the defense …
It's hard because you have guys who one week were practicing at this position and then somebody gets hurt and they have to play another position. It's hard to get a rhythm pattern and feel comfortable when it changes every snap and every week. There are guys that weren't even here three weeks ago that are starting now. It takes time, but like I said earlier, we are a team that works hard and hopefully we will get it figured out.
On the initial aftermath after Kevin Everett was injured …
The whole week was hard with his situation and then losing the way we lost. The whole week we were like "This sucks." It felt bad to lose at the last second and Kevin broke his neck. It was a rough week and it hasn't stopped with the injuries since Kevin. We have probably lost eight guys on defense. It has been a tough start, but it's a long season. Let's see if we can get rolling. Kevin getting better is great.
On Bills RB Marshawn Lynch …
We have a big offensive line, so we get a big edge off of the blocking. Marshawn is a shifty guy, but if he wants, he can run you over. He is going to be a great back in this league.
On the team's mindset after an 0-3 start …
You are irritated and frustrated. We know a lot of guys are about to start coming back. It's a long season and you never know what can happen. There are guys that maybe were home two weeks ago but now they get a chance to play and might become great players. It's a long season and we just have to keep going.
On having a brother, Matt (Eagles TE), and a cousin, Bo (Colts DE), who also play in the NFL ...
I guess it had to do with genetics. Football has always been something we did. It has never been a big deal. It has never been about football and playing in the NFL. We just kept getting better from high school to college and from college to the pros. We did things day to day to get better each week. This is our job. It's not a big deal, I guess. We never thought much of it.
